November 20, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



767 



and some derivatives obtained from it. A 

 number of substances were obtained whose 

 exact natures have not yet been determined. 



Tetrametaphosphimic Acid : By H. N. Stokes. 

 In this article, which is a continuation of one 

 recently published on the phosphimic acids, the 

 author discusses the acid, its decompositions, 

 and the salts formed by it. He also offers some 

 suggestions as to its structure, but calls atten- 

 tion to the fact that experimental data for such 

 a discussion is almost wholly wanting. 



A short obituary notice of August Kekule, 

 who died July 13, 1896, is also contained in this 

 number. J. Elliott Gilpin. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 



The regular meeting of the American Chemi- 

 cal Society was held at the College of the City 

 of New York on Friday evening, November 6th, 

 Prof. William McMurtrie in the chair, and fifty- 

 one members present. 



The announcement was made that an invita- 

 tion from Drs. Morton and Leeds to hold the 

 next meeting (December 11th) at the Stevens 

 Institute of Technology, Hoboken, had been re- 

 ceived, duly acted upon and accepted by the 

 Executive Committee. Dr. Morton will read a 

 paper on ' Some Illustrations of the Phenomena 

 of Fluorescence,' and Dr. Leeds will give an 

 ' Exhibition of Appliances for the Quantitative 

 Estimation of Micro-Organisms. ' 



Dr. Squibb reviewed in detail the method of 

 Messrs. Robineau and Rollin for the ' Volumet- 

 tric Determination of Aceton.' (Moniteur Sci- 

 entifique, 1893.) This method consists in mix- 

 ing acetone with a solution of potassium iodide 

 and sodium hydroxide, and then transforming 

 it into iodoform with a titrated solution of a 

 hypochlorite. The end reaction is indicated by 

 the appearance of a blue color when a drop of 

 the liquid is touched with a drop of bicarbon- 

 ated starch solution. From the volume of hypo- 

 chlorite used the quantity of acetone is deduced. 

 Dr. Squibb has introduced various modifications 

 which shorten the work so as to render the pro- 

 cess available in commercial work, the details 

 of which require a perusal of the paper in full 

 for their due appreciation. 



Dr. Doremus gave an interesting sketch of the 

 scientific meetings held in London and Paris 

 last summer, and of the various English and Con- 

 tinental laboratories visited, not the least effi- 

 cient of which were several connected with large 

 manufacturing establishments. The expensive 

 platinum apparatus used by Moissan in the iso- 

 lation of fluorine, Dewars's apparatus for lique- 

 faction of oxygen, and photographs of the 

 spectrum of Argon, were among many extremely 

 interesting landmarks in the progress of chemi- 

 cal science which were seen and described. 



Mr. J. C. Boot exhibited and described a 

 specific gravity bottle, designed to prevent the 

 rapid alteration of the temperature of the liquid 

 and consequent difficulty in making accurate 

 weighings, when the temperature of the labora- 

 tory happens to be much above the standard 

 temperature at which the liquid must be 

 weighed. The essential point is the inclosure 

 of an inner by an outer bottle, the space be- 

 tween being quite thoroughly exhausted. The 

 non-conductivity of the vacuum permits of main- 

 taining the temperature of the inner bottle 

 stationary for as much as five minutes with a 

 room difference of twenty-five or thirty degrees. 



A paper by Mr. Heath, on the colorimetric 

 determination of copper, described methods of 

 preparing color standards, whereby a year's 

 permanence is assured, and other modifications 

 conducive of accuracy and rapidity. Mr. Heath 

 insists on the absence of nitric acid in the stand- 

 ards of color comparison, as well as an excess 

 of ammonia of uniform strength, and the stand- 

 ards should then be preserved in absolutely 

 tight, glass-stoppered bottles, and not exposed 

 to heat or direct sunlight. 



He objects to the method involving the use 

 of metallic aluminum, because of the dan- 

 ger of incomplete precipitation, or retention of 

 copper by silica, and the additional time re- 

 quired to avoid or correct errors resulting in 

 these ways. He advocates a double precipita- 

 tion, by ammonia, of the iron and alumina, re- 

 dissolving in sulphuric acid for the second pre- 

 cipitation. His standards enable him to read 

 to 0.03 per cent., and check assays made by 

 electrolytic method indicate a very small range 

 of error. Durand Woodman, 



Secretary. 



